Welcome to the Rice University History Department! We are a community of scholars and students passionate about studying the past in order to help us understand our contemporary world. In the History Department, Rice students learn with accomplished scholars in small classroom settings. Our faculty enjoy teaching, and many have been recognized with awards for exceptional teaching. The skills learned in history coursesâ€”how to sift through enormous amounts of information, how to read texts critically, how to write effective proseâ€”are broadly applicable to many fields and careers.Â

Students who love history and who want the freedom to explore the past widely should consider majoring in history. Gifts to the department from alumni and friends offer history majors opportunities for travel and research. An honors program allows students to conduct original research and to write a thesis. The director of undergraduate studies is Fay Yarbrough.